The American Poultry Association put on their annual event a few weeks ago. I attended for the first time. The 4-H members among others had a collection of decorated eggs from various birds on display. Many hundreds of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys were judged.

The variation of different birds is incredible and beautiful.

Many thanks to Dave Andersen, president of the Association for his hard work in bringing the show together. Next year be sure to attend the show. You will be surprised at the beautiful display.

*****

The Texas Church Murders.

The recent slaughter of innocents in Sutherland Springs, Texas is a soul-crushing memory. The perpetrator's demonic concentration on killing each and every person he could find tells us the human race can never eliminate the problem of evil. It is the dark side of human nature which we can only deal with as it exposes itself.

Contrary to the ignorant comments of some liberal lawmakers, prayer is the most powerful way of dealing with the evil side of humanity - it facilitates the virtues of wisdom and prudence which tell us how to react, in the instance and in the future. Wisdom tells us in a general way, prudence is more specific. Both virtues are empowered by prayer, and prayer necessitates God.

I know this sort of religious talk stirs-up clouds of Leftist hatred, especially amongst atheists, but this is just this man's understanding and belief - my opinion - and I lean on my First Amendment right to express it.

I also lean on my Second Amendment right to criticize those who again holler for more gun restrictions. These calls are best understood as "infringements", which are forbidden by this Amendment. The Liberal Left hates firearms and always promotes their schemes to restrict, and eventually confiscate, most of the 350+ million firearms owned by Americans today, by prefacing their intentions with the word "reasonable". Actually, there is no "reasonable" way to "infringe" a God-given right to self-defense - especially in America. Our God-given rights do not belong to Caesar, so Caesar has no authority to take them from us. Our American Republic is not imperial, regardless of its pretentions.

It is supremely ironic, and instructive, that two American men (one a firearms instructor for the National Rifle Association) and the other a common American citizen, witnessing the shooting, grabbed their AR rifles and chased-down the criminal, neutralizing him with accurate firepower. One of the men ran to his pickup barefooted, driving up to 95-miles-per hour to catch the killer before he was able to shoot anyone else.

Both the killer and his pursuers were using the same kind of weapon, an AR simi-automatic rifle. These two very humble men are both heroes. Without the fact that they were able to "keep and bear arms" further slaughter would certainly have happened.

We are Americans. Unlike virtually all other subjects, citizens, or communist slaves, our country was blessed by God in a unique way; in His providence He gave us John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Washington, and a host of other freedom-loving geniuses. Among those special rights they insisted be a part of our Constitution was our Second Amendment - most important to them except only for our First Amendment, intended to enforce the others by force if necessary.

So, it is with a heavy heart that I feel it necessary at this sad time to have to remind the Liberal Left of the serious nature of our right to keep and bear arms for self defense - and defense against government infringement. Our freedom of religion is first of the five freedoms guaranteed in our First Amendment. That freedom was absolutely violated by the killer in that Texas church. Our Second Amendment right to arms was quick to halt further bloodshed.

Should our Liberal legislators seek to confiscate our arms (as in Australia, England, and all of the rest of the world) it's not unreasonable to expect more bloodshed, as in our own, bloodiest, Civil War.

But the cry for more gun regulation and confiscation has already begun - even on the very day of the massacre. The radical Liberal Left despises logic. They cannot be convinced of reality. They don't, for example, understand that evil men do not comply with the law - that's why they are called outlaws. All the anti-firearm laws in the world have no effect upon evildoers, they only, and severely affect law-abiding citizens. The old saying, guns don't kill people, people do, is another reality Liberals can't understand.

But a reality, a fact they should understand is that even serious talk of banning or restricting gun ownership sparks a fierce gun-buying urge in the law-abiding public. I anticipate such talk this time, again, will sell a million additional firearms across America, adding to that 350+ million already at hand. Attempting an Australian "solution" will cause civil war.

God bless our Second Amendment and those who act to keep us safe and free!